The Music Box, the Staff and the Mirror
by Be Rose
Summary: When Marc finds the woman of his dreams he is ready to follow her everywhere. His friend Hannah hears that this Belladonna is not what she seems to be and is determined to keep Marc safe, even if she has to give up her life. Will Marc wake up from his dream before it becomes a nightmare? And what about the music box, staff and mirror? What is their role in all this?
1. Chapter 1

**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 1**

ONCE UPON A TIME there was a chance meeting between two families. There was nothing special about them; they had no money or power. Their children didn't have unusual strength or incredible magical skills and yet, a special destiny lay in store for them. But this was the day fate brought them together.

The first family – father, mother and a little girl – came from the other side of the country in search of work and a place to live. They'd heard of a farm that had become available in a village called Essley and hoped to rent it from the landlord. Unfortunately the lord of Essley asked for a warranty to the value of three months' rent. They didn't have the money and Essley was a small and poor village. No other work could be found there. The only thing they could do was to try and find another place. They decided to go to Woodsted, the biggest town in the area, separated from Essley by a large forest.

The family had walked for hours. Close to midday they came upon a little dell in the otherwise dense woods. Here clear spring water bubbled up from the rocks so they decided to rest and have their midday meal. Barely had the mother taken out their scanty provisions when the second family – a woman with her little boy and her brother, a gangly youth – arrived and asked whether they could join the company.

They'd come walking from Woodsted where the woman had unsuccessfully tried to find a job. Somebody had told her about a smallholding that was to let in Essley and that's where they were going.

"We've come from there," the father said. "It looks like a good place, fertile, but the landlord wants three months' rent up front, and we haven't got that much."

The woman's face fell.

"I haven't got it either," she said and sighed.

The two families shared their supplies and after the meal talked about their problems and sorrows. Meanwhile the boy and girl played in the wood, having lots of fun. The grownups were packing up to go their separate ways when the little girl asked, "Can't we all stay together? Then I can have a playmate."

"Oh! Yes mum, can we?"

The boy was just as enthusiastic.

"You know, the farm is large enough for our two families," the girl's father said hesitantly.

"Can we do it together? Have we got enough money for the warranty then?"

They put their savings together and had enough money to pay the required warranty and the first month's rent. A short discussion later the grownups had agreed that it was a good idea. With new hope they went to the lord of Essley and together rented the small farm. The land that came with it yielded enough to feed the combined family.

The children, Hannah and Marc, soon became closer than siblings. They played together or with the other children in the village and, like them, loved to listen to Granny telling stories. Granny was the village midwife. She had never married and was really nobody's grandmother but truly everybody's Granny. She told some marvellous tales but the one Hannah and Marc liked best was the one of Princess Jessamina and the Prince who rescued her. Marc liked to play that he was the prince doing great feats of bravery, fighting dragons and villains, but when Hannah said she could be Princess Jessamina, Marc answered that she couldn't.

"You look nothing like Jessamina," he said. "But you can be my friend who goes with me on my quest to find her."

And Hannah accepted. She'd much rather play with Marc than with anybody else.

Of course when they were a bit older Marc didn't want to be with Hannah anymore but preferred to run around the countryside with the boys from the village.

"Boys don't play with girls," he told her. "That's for little children."

Hannah didn't have a close friend among the village girls. She'd always had Marc. Now she started to help her mother and Marc's mother in the household or went to the communal hall where the young girls sat together to do their spinning or knitting or sewing. A few years later Marc too was required to help on the farm and Hannah's workload had increased. There was little time left for play.

At sixteen Hannah was allowed to go to the village dance with Marc. He enjoyed her company, especially as it kept all too eager girls at bay. They all thought of him as taken – everybody did, including Hannah. Their parents silently approved of the match but didn't rush them into marriage; there was time enough yet for such things. Marc was totally unaware of these hopes. He was still looking for a girl like Jessamina; that is the Jessamina he'd imagined. None of the village girls came close, note even Hannah who, according to all the boys, was the prettiest.

The following winter disaster struck. An illness swept through the village. A great many of the villagers died, among them Granny. The farm too was badly hit. One after the other every member of the combined family fell ill. Hannah's mother was one of the first victims. Later her father and Marc's mother succumbed to the disease. When they were buried, Hannah and Marc were already gravely ill. Marc's uncle looked after them. He showed the first signs of the illness when Marc started to recover. By the time it looked as if Hannah would get well, he had to take to his bed. Marc became the one looking after the patients. While Hannah was soon well enough to sit up, Marc's uncle quickly got worse. When spring came around the disease had run its course and Hannah and Marc were the only survivors of their family.

Marc looked after the farm as well and, once she was fully recovered, Hannah helped him as much as she could. After a while they thought that the two of them could keep the farm but then their landlord came.

"Can I speak to the person in charge here," he asked Marc.

"I'm in charge now, Sir," Marc replied. "I look after the place, together with Hannah."

"And who is Hannah? Your mother? Your aunt?"

"Hannah is my friend," said Marc. Then he saw her leaving the house and added, "Look, there she is."

The landlord was amazed.

"But, you are both children," he said. "You can't run my farm. You're not old enough."

"I think we are, Sir," said Marc.

All his protestations didn't help. Hannah saw by Marc's reaction something was up and joined them. When she understood the problem she added her own voice to his pleadings but all to no avail. The landlord considered them too young and inexperienced to run the farm and gave them a week to leave.

What could they do? If there had been little work in Essley before, there was none now. To get away from the misery and bad memories they decided to take the forest path that led through the forest to Woodsted, hoping they might find work in the bigger town. They didn't have a horse and cart to carry their possessions though, there wasn't even a donkey – it all belonged to the landlord to pay the outstanding debts for equipment, seeds, renovations to the house and rent. They had to leave most of their belongings behind, taking only what they could carry.

Marc and Hannah set off along the forest path to Woodsted. The only thing they had to remember was this: whenever the path split, whether in two or three, they had to take the right fork. This would lead them through the wood before nightfall and to The Huntsman's Hideout for a warm, clean bed.

While they were walking Hannah and Marc talked about their future. Where would they go and what would they do? Could they find a job in town? Would they be able to stay together? They paid so little attention to the path that they missed the turn for Woodsted. By the time they came to the next fork in the path they were so deep in the forest that Hannah's remark, "We have to go right here," only took them further in.

The dense undergrowth and the narrow path at the next turn worried them somewhat, but they kept going. Soon the path all but disappeared. They had to pick their way over fallen trees and dead branches. When it became too dark to see, they stuffed their bundles in a hollow tree and clambered under a thorny bush to spend the night. The following morning they continued. All that was left of the path was a narrow corridor hemmed in on all sides by thick tall bushes. The small brooks that seemed to criss-cross this part of the forest were no obstacle. Eventually the wood became less overgrown but the only sign of a path was still the narrow track where the grass had a trampled down look; the trail of an animal rather than a real path. After a while they noticed that the path became wider again, the trees and bushes less dense. They forded another beck, this one the widest so far, and shortly afterwards they came upon another fork in the road. The path seemed to continue left; on the right hand the trail looked to have a dead end in a thick wall of thorny bushes.

"We've always been told to take the right turn, but that doesn't look promising," said Marc.

"We should have been out of the forest before nightfall yesterday. I think we are lost." Hannah sounded really worried.

"Let's take the left road, Hannah. If we _are_ lost it is surely better to go that way. It looks more like a proper path anyway. Besides, there must be more than one way to get out of this forest. There might even be another town and it doesn't matter which town we go to, does it."

"You're right Marc; we're probably close to the edge of this forest. Let's go left."

They continued along their chosen route, faster than before on the even surface of what now was a wide lane. It wound its way through the wood, making great curves to the right or left, then going dead straight for a while.

It was late in the day when they came to a small clearing in the forest. On the edge of the clearing, next to the path was a shed, perhaps a shelter for the night. Close up, they saw how dilapidated it was; the door hung loose and it came of its hinges when Marc tried to open it. Then they saw the hole in the roof, the rotten hay inside, the weeds that had crept through the planks and the spider webs everywhere.

"Let's go further," said Marc. "It is still early. Perhaps there is a farm nearby or even a village."

"Perhaps, but it looks more like an abandoned shed, well away from anywhere. Anyway, we should eat first. Could you find me some firewood? It would be nice to have something warm. It is rather cold today."

While Hannah started on the food, Marc went to find some wood. He was back in no time.

"Hannah, come here. You have to see this."

Hannah followed Marc when he disappeared through a gap in the hedge that bordered the clearing. They came out on a circular meadow and on the far side …

"It's a house. Who lives there?"

"I don't know. I fetched you as soon as I saw it."

They walked to the farmhouse and knocked on the door but nobody answered. They walked all around the house, looked in every window but didn't see a soul. The place seemed deserted and, by the look of it, had been deserted for a long time.

Marc tried the door handle and the door opened easily. Inside the place it was dark and dusty.

"We could stay here for the night, Marc. There's a proper fireplace and we'll be warm; better and safer than shivering under a thorny bush."

Marc agreed. They fetched their belongings, then they lit a fire and Hannah cooked the food. Marc found some candles and decided to have a further look in the house. He came back with an armful of blankets and laid them in front of the fire. That night they slept comfortable and warm, and most important of all, safe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thanks to Jimli, SilverStarlightXD, Free Fallen Sky and TheNovelistGirl for following my story.**

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**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 2**

Next morning they woke up to the crowing of a cockerel. While Marc went to see if there were chickens as well, even some freshly laid eggs, Hannah folded the blankets.

"How nice it would be, if we could stay here," she thought.

Marc came back with eggs and a pail of milk.

"Hannah, you won't believe this, there are not only chickens but goats and pigs as well. And fields – it's such good earth – everything just grows wild as if nobody has looked at it in quite a while. We could stay here. It would mean hard work to do all the repairs and tend to the animals and the land, but I know we can do it. What do you think? … Or would you rather go into town?"

"No, oh no," said Hannah. "I'd love to stay here. It looks so sad, so all abandoned."

So they set about cleaning and repairing the farmhouse and outbuildings, and tending the land and the animals. It was hard work, just as Marc had said, but they were hopeful that in little over a year they would have turned the dilapidated house, the ruined stables and sheds, and the untended land into their own perfect place.

That first spring they sowed some of the seeds they'd brought with them. Near the house Hannah found an overgrown herb garden. After the weeds were cleared there were still quite a few useful plants left. There was also a small orchard behind the house with fruit trees, bushes that showed the promise of berries later on and a patch of strawberries that were nearly ready to pick. Spring turned to summer and Marc found some vegetables growing wild. They had obviously been left when the place was abandoned, had run to seed and had self-sown. This was also the time that the berries were ripening. Hannah was busy making jams and preserves. Hannah and Marc were kept busy well into autumn making sure they had supplies for winter and for sowing and planting the following year. They felt proud of what they had achieved.

One winter's day while Hannah was feeding the chickens, a little bird fell from the sky. Hannah saw it was trying to fly away again, flapping its wings. She was just in time to chase away the sparrow hawk that was swooping down to grab it. The little bird, exhausted and with an injured wing, couldn't fly anymore. Hannah picked it up and took it inside.

"Marc, I've found a bird and it's injured. Can you help me?"

Marc came immediately. Together they bandaged the bird's wing and Hannah made a little nest for the bird in a box. Marc looked at the bird sitting quietly in the middle of the box with a strapped up wing and ruffled feathers and started laughing.

"It looks a bit rough, doesn't it?"

"Of course he looks rough. He nearly got killed."

"He?"

"Of course, look at those brightly coloured feathers. Definitely a 'he'."

"You're keeping it as a pet, aren't you? What are you going to call 'him'? Roughus?"

The bird started tweeting.

"Do you like the name Roughus?" Hannah asked the bird.

The bird started tweeting even more.

"Marc, you're his godfather. You named him. He's a Roughus."

"He certainly is that," laughed Marc.

The wing healed well and as soon as the bird was flying around the house Hannah had taken it outside so it could fly away. It didn't. All day it sat on the window sill. Hannah felt sorry for the little bird. When the sun started to go down she had made up her mind.

"I'm going to open the door, Marc. If Roughus comes inside again, he can stay here all winter."

"Ok, Hannah. He does look a bit sad, sitting there."

As soon as Hannah opened the door, the bird flew inside straight to his nest in the box.

Roughus became part of the family. With the bandage removed and his feathers preened he no longer looked rough but every time his name was called he would answer with a song. The little bird really became Hannah's pet now. He followed her everywhere, even outside. Although he was free to fly back into the forest he stayed at the farm with Hannah and Marc, even when the winter ended and the days became warmer again.

The second year at the farm was just as successful. It took them longer than anticipated to do all the repairs but by the following winter even the last little job was done. It was wonderful to see how much the farm had changed since the day they had found it, sad and abandoned. Marc was especially proud of their achievement. He felt completely happy being master of his own lands and having Hannah there to look after the house. He never saw her as the young woman she had become. She was his friend, his sister, the only family he had left in the world. Hannah realised this and it pained her. She could not see Marc as her brother, not since the first time they had danced together. She hoped that one day he would find his feelings for her were no longer brotherly. Meanwhile all she could do was wait and be his best friend. Despite her silent sorrow, Hannah had to admit that they had a wonderful time together.

Their third spring on the farm started as usual with a lot of hard work sowing and planting but as the days brightened towards summer a shadow seemed to fall over their little world.

Every day Marc went into the forest alone. "Just to look after the animals," he said, which wasn't strange as they did roam free, but he stayed away longer, sometimes not even returning home until well past midnight. Hannah wondered why he would stay in the forest so long but didn't know how to ask him. She didn't want to pry and certainly didn't want to sound like a nagging woman.

Marc's strange behaviour stopped as suddenly as it had started and Hannah was sure she had been worried about nothing. For a week everything was back to normal but then Hannah was woken up by a noise in the middle of the night. Although Marc and Hannah didn't sleep in the same room the walls between the bedrooms were very thin. Hannah heard Marc cry out in his sleep, "Please, Belladonna, don't go away! Belladonna, don' leave me!"

The next day he disappeared into the wood again immediately after breakfast. Marc didn't return until the following day in the evening, looking unhappy, saying nothing all evening.

"Is everything all right, Marc?" Hannah asked.

"Of course it is. Leave me alone," was all the answer she got.

That night he called out for Belladonna again. Hannah couldn't sleep anymore. She heard Marc telling his dream girl that he loved her and needed her. Finally he stopped talking and after some tossing and turning Hannah fell asleep as well. In the morning Marc was gone already when Hannah woke up. She was sure he had gone looking for the girl he loved. She tried to do her work, tried not to think of Marc and this other girl but she couldn't stop a lonely tear from running down her cheek. That night Hannah could not sleep. She waited up for Marc, but he didn't return. Then she heard somebody lightly knocking on the window and calling, "Hannah, hurry, Marc is in danger."

Hannah opened the window but didn't see anything. She closed the window again but had barely turned her back when she heard the knocking again, and again, "Quickly, Hannah, Marc is in danger!"

This time she opened the door, nobody was there. She walked around the farmhouse but didn't see a living soul. Hannah was just going to go back inside when she heard the voice again, "Please, Hannah, come with me. Marc is in danger!"

Hannah turned around but there was nobody except her little bird. Then the bird spoke again, "Come Hannah. Marc needs you. The witch has him in her power."

She wanted to ask how it was possible that a bird could talk but Roughus interrupted her, "I'll explain later. Come quickly now."

Hannah put on the old skirt, blouse and jacket that she used to work on the field and followed the bird into the forest, further than she had ever been. It was a cloudless night and the full moon helped Hannah to see the path she was following. She heard the babbling of the brook before she saw it but there was also another sound: voices softly whispering. The path ran close to the brook and the branches of a weeping willow hung like a curtain in Hannah's way. She carefully pushed them aside and looked out on a scene that destroyed her hopes and dreams.

In the pale light of the full moon two people were lying under a tree near the brook. Hannah recognised Marc and saw the beautiful woman in his arms. He ran his fingers through curls as black as the night sky and she caressed his face. In the moonlight her bare arm had the colour of fresh cream. Then the woman got up and danced for Marc, twirling round and round, her waist long hair whipping around her. He pulled her down again when she came close to him and kissed her passionately.

Even without seeing them Hannah knew that the woman's eyes would be blue-green like the sea. This girl was Princess Jessamina, the Princess of Granny's tales, the heroine of their childhood games and here she was, a woman of flesh and blood, in Marc's embrace.

When Hannah saw how Marc gently caressed the woman's hair and kissed her on the lips she felt a pain as if somebody stabbed her through the heart. She wanted to run away, wanted to go home. She told the bird, "Marc has found Jessamina, the only woman he could love. He doesn't need me." But Roughus stopped her.

"Don't go, Hannah. She's not what she seems. That woman is a witch. She has often lured men into the forest to do her bidding. They can't resist her because she always looks like their dream woman. I've seen her fair-haired and dark-haired, looking like a mysterious eastern beauty or a brown gypsy-girl. But whatever she looks like, she is always the perfect woman to her victims. If you like Marc, you have to stay close to him or he's lost for ever, a victim to that snake."

Like him? Hannah didn't tell the bird that she loved Marc as much as he loved the girl in his arms but she stayed. If Marc needed her she would be there for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 3**

Hannah and Roughus heard Marc and the woman talking.

"You know I will do anything for you, Belladonna."

"This could be dangerous, my love."

"I'm not afraid; nothing can scare me when I do something for you. Oh, Belladonna, I've been waiting for you all my life."

"Yes, but will you get these things for me. They are important."

"I will. I will do anything, I love you, Belladonna."

"Let's go then, now. The quicker I have my possessions back, the quicker I will be yours, my love."

"Yes, Belladonna, of course, let's go."

They went further into the forest; Hannah and her little bird followed them. The bird sat on Hannah's shoulder and told her everything he knew.

"This Belladonna is as poisonous as her name suggests. She has been looking for some magic objects for a very long time. She's lured many a man in her web and has always gotten them mad enough to try and get those things for her. They have all paid with their lives for failing."

"We have to warn Marc. He has to know who that woman is."

"It's no use, Hannah. He is under her spell and won't believe you. By now he probably won't even recognize you."

"But surely…"

Roughus interrupted her, "Hannah, believe me, you can't do anything at the moment. If you try she'll curse you or destroy you and Marc will still be under her spell. We can only follow them and hope for a chance to help Marc."

Deeper and deeper they went into the forest. It became dark and dense, with a canopy so thick Hannah couldn't see a single star, not even the moon. Tree roots crossed the path and strange poison-green vines tried to trip her up. If Hannah didn't fall it was because every tree seemed to emit a faint, sickly fluorescent light that lit the path. Whether this came from the tree itself or was a reflection of the vine she couldn't tell. A few times when she stumbled, she feared the couple in front might have heard her but they were too busy whispering sweet nothings, though how they could talk of love in a place that was so devoid of beauty Hannah didn't know. The air was oppressive, acrid, stinging Hannah's throat. She could hardly breathe. There was a strange smell and taste of burning even though there was no sign of a fire. Shrubs and plants were struggling to grow or were dead, long ago strangled by the vine. They left the vine-infested wood behind when they forded a stream. Ancient trees grew here, tall and wide, or crooked and gnarled. Quite a few were hollow and Hannah and Roughus spent the night in one of them while Marc and Belladonna were smooching under an old weeping willow near a small lake.

It was barely dawn when they were off again. Eventually Marc and Belladonna arrived at a clearing. In the middle of it, all by itself stood an old yew tree. This too was hollow. Marc and Belladonna went straight for it.

"Oh Marc," Belladonna whispered. "My music box fell in the hole under this tree. I have tried to get it out but there is a deep cavern underneath it. I'm just a helpless woman and it is so deep and dark in there. I'm afraid to go in. Please, can you go in and find my music box? Please?"

She smiled sweetly and Marc said, "Of course my love."

Hannah and Roughus stayed hidden in the forest and watched while Marc tied a rope to a branch of the tree and disappeared inside the hollow. Slowly in the pitch-dark he descended into the cave underneath the tree. He looked down and saw a flickering light. "At least there is a candle down there," he thought. Further and further down he went; much further than he thought possible. He couldn't believe the rope was that long. Occasionally he looked down and every time the light seemed bigger until eventually he saw it was a torch that lit up the bottom of the hole. He jumped down and grabbed the torch. He couldn't see a music box but in front of him was a passage in the solid rock. Marc was so determined to get the object his Belladonna wanted that he decided to check it out. The walls of the tunnel were absolutely smooth as if they had been polished. They felt cold as well, but not damp. Along the whole length of the passageway Marc couldn't find a hollow, or a ledge, or anything where the music box could be. The tunnel suddenly opened up into a room with five exits, narrower than the one Marc had just come out off. The light of Marc's torch reflected from the same smooth silvery-black stone as the corridor he'd just left.

"Where to now?" he said aloud.

A deep voice answered him, "What do you want?"

Marc turned around a couple of times but saw no one. "Who are you, where are you?" he shouted.

"I'm the guardian of this place and I am everywhere," the voice boomed. "Tell me: what do you want?"

"The music box. I'm looking for the music box."

"Go through the gates marked with a musical instrument. They will take you to the music box. Don't touch anything except the thing you came for."

With a scraping sound a carved stone in the arch above each entrance moved forward until it jutted out from the otherwise smooth and featureless walls. Every stone was carved differently. One of them had the carving of a drum. Above the tunnel he'd just come out off there was no picture.

"How will I get back," Marc asked the bodiless voice.

"If you prove yourself worthy and succeed, you will be told."

If he didn't want to disappoint Belladonna, he had to go onward and find the thing she wanted. Marc went through the drum entrance. A short corridor led him to another room where he found the carving of a French horn above one of the openings in the wall. On and on Marc went. Every passage ended in a room and every room had one doorway with the figure of an instrument above it. He'd lost count of the rooms he'd passed. Coming out of the umpteenth tunnel he arrived in a room where a narrow passage between chests full of treasure led to the one opening in the opposite wall. The coffers were all open, spilling over with gold coins and precious stones, all tossed about haphazardly. Half a dozen gold statues stood dotted about the place.

A shiver went through Marc when he saw them. He remembered the stories. The losers went for the gold and were cursed; the hero never touched anything but went straight for his goal. Carefully he picked his way to the other side of the treasure chamber and entered another corridor. It was higher, wider and longer than the ones he'd been in before. He was only a quarter of the way through, when from the other end of the tunnel a group of horsemen came thundering toward him. Marc wanted to go out of their way, flatten himself against the wall. Only then did he notice the rubble piled against both walls. He tried to clamber on top but as soon as he thought he was safe, the stones started to shift and he slid down again into the path of the horses. Marc stood in the middle of the corridor, looking at the oncoming danger. He knew it was futile to try and run towards the treasure chamber. He would be trampled to death before he reached it.

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**Author's Note: This chapter was a bit shorter. To compensate the next one will be up tomorrow.**


	4. Chapter 4

**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 4**

Suddenly he realised that the tunnel was higher and wider than the entrance to it had been. Those horsemen could never get through it running the way they were. Marc decided there could only be one reason for their mad dash towards destruction and started to walk towards them. The noise of their hoofbeats echoing around the tunnel was deafening. They were now so close that Marc could smell the horses. He closed his eyes and walked on. Then the noise was on top of him. He could feel the warmth of bodies, hear the shouts of men. He felt dust tickling his nose and in an instance all was quiet. He opened his eyes and looked around him. Not a horse to be seen, nor a horseman neither. They had been just images or ghosts, just as Marc had thought.

He came to the end of the tunnel and walked through the doorway into the next room. It was oval, with tunnels radiating from it on all sides. In the middle of the room stood a pedestal with a small box on top of it. Marc wondered if the tiny box really was the thing he sought. He had imagined something bigger. He looked around but none of the entrances had a musical instrument on them. The little black box on the pedestal had to be the music box. Marc went toward the pedestal. The moment he stood next to it the box opened and started playing and the deep, booming voice said, "You have proven yourself worthy. Take your prize and go back through the portals with a tree above them. Good luck."

Marc closed the box, took it down and put it in the game bag Belladonna had given him. He found the tree carved above a doorway and went through into the corridor beyond. It was only faintly lit but there was a brightness at the end of it. When he walked into the chamber beyond the tunnel Marc was stunned. The whole place was filled with jewellery: armbands, rings, necklaces, crowns with and without precious stones but all gold. Lying on top of the jewels or half stuck underneath were rolls of cloth in silk, satin and lace that vied in colour with them. Marc thought of taking some for his sweetheart but as he reached out his hand he thought he heard Granny's voice again, "… and the prince stuffed his pockets full of gold coins and precious stones and was turned into a golden statue to stand there for eternity. Jessamina cried. Another rescuer had failed. She was still imprisoned."

Before it could touch the gold, Marc pulled back his hand with a quick movement, as if he was stung.

"No, I'll only take what I came for," he said and left the treasure chamber.

He often remembered Granny's stories since meeting Belladonna. It was not that she was 'like' Jessamina; she 'was' Jessamina in everything but name. And he was her hero, just like he'd always imagined. It was as if Granny's tales were coming true for him. He passed two more rooms filled with even richer, more beautiful treasure and twice he ignored it. Running through the corridor to the next room, he wondered how many more chambers he would have to pass. He went through the doorway thinking he would enter another chamber filled with treasure and recognised the place where the voice had first spoken to him. He'd barely realised it when he heard the voice rumble, "Well done. You've won your prize. Good luck with it."

Marc saw the tree carving on top of the largest entrance. As he went through he heard the sound of stones scraping as the carvings slid back into position. Soon he was back underneath the hollow tree. The rope was still hanging down and Marc started climbing, shouting, "I've found it! I'm coming!"

While Marc had been searching for the music box, hours had passed and Belladonna had become impatient. She had been pacing up and down in front of the tree, had kicked it a few times and had muttered to herself, "Why isn't that fool coming back? It's not that difficult to find. Why do I have to rely on idiots like him?"

Then a noise came from the tree, "I've found it! I'm coming!"

"That accursed thing!" said Roughus. "It had been better if he'd never found it. Now he's going to give it to the sorceress and the moment he does he'll lose the youth of his voice. He'll sound like an age-old man, wheezing and croaking."

"No! Let it happen to me!" cried Hannah.

Marc crawled out of the hollow yew tree and gave the music box to Belladonna.

"Here you are, my love," he said. "What else can I do for you?"

His voice hadn't changed a bit but for a split second he felt a shiver when he looked at Belladonna.

She stroked his hair and said, "Will you help me find the staff that belonged to my father once? It is very precious to me."

"But of course my only, true love," Marc answered.

The magic that had ensnared him was back to its full strength. Marc was as smitten as ever.

When Hannah said to the bird, "Let's follow them again." her voice was old and cracked. It was painful too. Her throat ached with every word she spoke; as if she was swallowing needles and pins.

Hannah didn't complain about it, but Roughus heard her moan in her sleep that night and every night afterwards.

For days they walked on through the forest. They forded another narrow stream and entered a different place again. After the gnarled, old, hollow trees they had come to a very mixed forest. The forest floor was covered in ferns. Everywhere grew trees in all sizes, tall old trees and small young trees, waiting for an older tree to fall, so they could take its place. This was a thick forest full of life.

After a few days the terrain changed. It became rougher and rockier. The dense forest became lighter and lighter until trees became sparse. Hannah and Roughus could only hide behind the odd boulder or thorny bush. Although it was easier to follow Marc and Belladonna in this open country, it was impossible to get close enough to hear what they said to each other.

Finally, one day, towards the evening, a fortress could be seen on a hill in the distance.

Belladonna cried out, "Look, my love, our goal is near!"

It was loud enough for the echo to repeat it and Hannah and Roughus to hear it. The little bird flew up and saw Marc and Belladonna following a path that wound its way to the entrance of the fortress, but it also saw something more interesting.

"Hannah, the fortress is only a ruin," Roughus said; "There is a way for us to get there first. Come, follow me."

The bird led Hannah to left of the fortress, away from the road that Marc and Belladonna took. He showed her a more difficult but much shorter route to the fortress. More climbing than walking, Hannah reached the top of the hill. There she saw that the wall of the fortress had crumbled down and she entered the ruin unnoticed. Roughus had found a good hiding place for Hannah. She'd only just settled down comfortably when Marc and the witch entered the roofless room.

With a honey-voice Belladonna said, "Will you really get me my crystal staff, Marc? I would do it myself, but I'm afraid of the darkness in the dungeon. I couldn't bear it!" then she sobbed.

Marc held her and kissed her on the head.

"Don't worry, my love, I'll soon be back with your staff. You'll see."

"It's in the bottom cellar at the far end of the corridor. Go now, quickly." Belladonna, no longer sobbing, conjured up a lit torch and pushed Marc towards the dark, foul smelling entrance to the dungeons.


	5. Chapter 5

**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 5**

Marc grabbed the torch and with just the smallest of hesitations he started down the steps of the underground prison. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he saw that to his right was a solid wall, speckled with green fungus. To the left was a corridor, with cells on either side. Mark checked out every cell until he came to the end of the cellar and found another staircase going further down.

As he descended he felt the cold and damp penetrate his clothes. There was a dripping noise and the sound of small scurrying feet. Marc searched this level as well but didn't see Belladonna's crystal staff, only a few remains of prisoners, skeletons in rags, hanging in their chains. There was a further floor down with the same slimy damp walls, the same now louder noises, the same barred recesses with chains, and the same flight of stairs deeper down. The incessant drip… drip … drip was hammering in his head. The stench was nearly unbearable. Marc could actually taste it, and it made him retch. The floor crunched under his feet. He didn't want to contemplate what could be there trying to crawl up his leg. And still the crystal staff could not be found.

More stairs to yet a lower level. The air was stale and the torch began to flicker. Marc still went on, searching for Belladonna's crystal staff, finding nothing except another stairway. It felt as if he was going into the bowels of hell. Water trickled down the walls, the cold and dampness pierced through to his bones, breathing became difficult in the musty air. He looked inside every prison cell. He saw fungi growing through the eye sockets of skulls and on bones, glowing with their own eerie light.

At the end of the corridor was no staircase but a hole in the ground covered by a metal grate. Something at the bottom reflected the light of the torch. Marc placed it in the sconce on the wall nearby and removed the grate. A ladder was fixed to the wall. Without wondering if it would hold him Marc descended to the bottom of the pit. The creaking of the ladder was unsettling, especially when a rung nearly gave way as well.

Belladonna's crystal staff was as far away as possible from the ladder. Marc leaned over, holding on to a rung of the ladder, nearly touching the staff. Then the rung broke and Marc fell in the filthy water at the bottom of the oubliette. He got up in an instant. The water wasn't as deep as he had feared. He grabbed the staff and noticed it was rather short; too short even for a walking stick. Marc shrugged. He supposed Belladonna knew what she wanted. Holding on firmly to the stick he waded back to the other side of the pit. He could just reach the bottom step and with some difficulty managed to pull himself onto the ladder. Slowly he climbed back up, carefully checking if a rung would hold before trusting it with his weight. At the top of the pit he lay down, breathing heavily.

After a while he got up, grabbed the torch and started to make his way back, up every staircase, passed every cell. He walked slowly, feeling sore and stiff from the fall in the well, and from the cold air in the underground prison that penetrated his whole being, making his teeth chatter. When he finally saw the light shining through the entrance of the dungeon Marc called out, "Belladonna, my love, I have your staff!"

Hours had passed. Hanna, afraid of being discovered, had barely moved all that time. In contrast Belladonna had been pacing up and down, cursing and shouting abuse.

"Useless idiot, he probably lost his way or locked himself in somewhere. I don't know why I wait here any longer. He's just as stupid as the rest of them."

Finally they heard Marc's voice coming from below, "Belladonna, my love, I have your staff!"

"That accursed thing should have been left there for eternity," whispered Roughus to Hannah. "As soon as he hands it to the witch, his legs will become crooked and stiff as if he were a rheumatic ancient instead of a young man."

"No," said Hannah, "let it happen to me."

Marc came out of the dungeon and handed the staff over to Belladonna. His legs remained as straight and supple as ever but Hannah had to stop herself from screaming with the pain that shot through hers.

"There is just one of my possessions left. It was lost long ago. Will you find this for me as well, my love?" asked Belladonna.

"I'd go to the end of the world for you, my darling, my beautiful woman."

Marc kissed her and suddenly he sensed a certain coldness about the woman he loved. Fear came over him but her kisses soon put an end to such thoughts.

When Marc and Belladonna went on their way, Hannah wanted to follow. She couldn't; her legs were painful and crooked with swollen joints.

"I can't follow them! Oh, Roughus, how can I help Marc if I can't be near him?"

Roughus thought it was a lost cause, but didn't want to disappoint Hannah.

"Don't worry, Hannah. I'll fly up and spy on them from above, you follow at your own pace and I'll tell you where to go."

They needn't worry; Belladonna, who had sensed Marc's doubt, wanted to make sure he went on believing in her love. They walked very slowly because she kissed him and cuddled him, weaving her spell, making sure he was still her toy.

They entered woodland again and followed a little stream. When it had become wide enough, Belladonna conjured up a boat.

"We will go to the lake where my mirror was lost, my darling. This stream will bring us there," she said.

Roughus had seen and heard everything. While he waited for Hannah, he looked round for something that could be used as a boat. Then he saw a tree trunk that was stranded in the shallows and thought it would do the job.

When Hannah arrived he told her what had happened. She managed to move the tree trunk to deeper water and sat down on it. The current took hold of it and Hannah could now follow her friend and the witch in relative comfort. The little bird flew ahead to keep track of the pair and saw that they were slowly gaining on them.

Belladonna had decided to treat the journey down the river as a pleasure cruise. She occasionally stopped the boat to play in the water, pick some fruit that was growing near the bank or have a splendid pick-nick. If it hadn't been for the steerless tree trunk occasionally getting stuck in the bushes, Hannah might have overtaken Marc and Belladonna.


	6. Chapter 6

**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 6**

Two days later the pair in the boat arrived at the lake. Belladonna steered it towards the deepest part.

"My mirror is in there," she said. "Please, please, get it for me, my love. It belonged to my grandmother and my mother gave it to me."

"I will, my darling," said Marc and disappeared in the water.

Though the water was fairly clear the bottom of the lake was so overgrown with plants that it could not be seen. The movement of the growth in the water made it difficult to focus.

After a short time Marc had to come up again to breathe. He hadn't found the mirror yet.

"Try again, go now, try again," said Belladonna. Marc went down again.

This time he stayed down longer. He swam straight for the bottom of the lake and, moving the plants out of the way, looked and felt around but did not find what he was looking for. When he came up again without the mirror Belladonna shouted at him, "Try harder! Use your eyes! Go on! Get going!" Again Marc dived down to the bottom of the lake.

Hannah's had just arrived in time to see this. She waited and waited but Marc did not come up. Hannah bit her knuckles in fear.

In the lake Marc was searching a particularly dense patch of water plants. He swam right among them and felt them gently brushing his legs. Then he saw something. Just a bit deeper was a patch where no plants grew. March thought he'd seen a flash of light in the middle of it. He swam towards the spot where he'd seen the flickering, dug his hands into the sand and felt something hard. He had found the mirror. He wanted to kick off from the bottom of the lake but plants had suddenly shot up from where the mirror had been. They curled around his legs, tugging at him, holding him while he tried to get away. Marc tried to kick harder but his legs were tied together. He realised that he had to get to the surface fast. He would not be able to hold his breath much longer. With his free hand he clawed at the plants, pulling them up. He had loosened his legs a bit and kicked in all directions to break the plants. One last tug and he was free, swimming as fast as he could to get out of the water, into the air. His lungs were nearly bursting.

On the boat Belladonna was raging with anger.

"I nearly had them all. Just the mirror to go and now the idiot has drowned without finding it. Why did I have to rely on that fool? Now they'll all disappear again, back to where they were hidden and I'll have to start all over again with another idiot. "

Then, some distance away from the boat, Marc came to the surface, took a deep breath and called Belladonna's name, waving the mirror.

"He's found it," said Roughus to Hannah. "I wish that hellish thing had disappeared forever in the mud of the lake. As soon as Marc hands it over to the witch he'll change into an old man, wrinkled and grey."

"No," said Hannah, "let it happen to me."

Marc reached the boat and gave the mirror to Belladonna. To her astonishment he didn't change but Hannah saw how her hands became wrinkled and crooked. Her reflection in the water showed she had become old and grey.

Roughus flew low across the water to the boat to hear what Belladonna was going to do next. Her back was turned towards him so she didn't see him landing on the boat. Marc, who was facing the right way, was too exhausted to notice anything. Belladonna kissed Marc.

"Now we're going to my castle," she said. "When we are there my possessions will get their true size again."

She caressed the small box, the short staff and the miniature dress mirror lying at her feet.

"We just have to cross the lake and follow the river for a while. We'll soon be there," she added.

As soon as he had heard this the little bird flew back to Hannah. He didn't want to stay any longer near Belladonna and risk being seen by Marc who was recovering from his exertion.

"You'll like my castle, my love," Belladonna purred. "It will be our love nest. Just the two of us. Won't that be lovely, my darling?"

Marc didn't answer. He wondered why Belladonna didn't look so attractive anymore. Why did he think she was hard and uncaring? She loved him, didn't she? And surely he loved her. What was different then?

These thoughts didn't last. A few more kisses from Belladonna, a few more smiles and caresses enchanted him again. He became enslaved to her once more.

While Marc and Belladonna went on their way to her castle, Hannah cried for her lost youth; she cried for Marc and the love she still felt for him. She didn't care anymore what happened to her, so she just lay across the tree trunk. Roughus didn't know what to do. He saw the boat with Marc disappear down the river and they weren't following. It was not over yet, Marc was not safe yet. He cried out, "Hannah, Hannah, we have to go on. Our task is not finished yet. Come on, Hannah!"

Finally, the bird's calls got through to Hannah. The thought that Marc was still in danger gave her strength. She managed to steer her makeshift craft towards the place where the river left the lake again. Then she lay on the tree trunk, letting it float along on the current. Not only did she look and sound like an old woman, she felt weak and powerless as well. Only with the help and guidance of Roughus, was Hannah able to track the boat with Marc and Belladonna. Neither of them noticed that they were being followed.

Lying on the tree trunk, drifting along, Hannah thought about the three objects Marc had to find for the witch. She remembered Roughus calling them cursed so she asked him what they were and why he had called them accursed and hellish.

"They were made by the cruellest and darkest witch that ever was, Belladonna's great-great-grandmother, Acatea. The Magic Council found out too late what these things could do. They were still working out how to get hold of them when Acatea died. Her daughter didn't seem to be aware of them. She didn't use dark magic and the Council had no excuse to search her home to try and find them. Not until Belladonna did Acatea have a descendant who matched her cruelty and Belladonna loved to use them."

"What do they do, these things?"

"The music box allows her to steal voices, leaving people dumb. Or it can duplicate or change voices, like it did with yours. It can also take a person's breath away, literally. They die. The staff takes speed, giving it to the witch. It can also cripple somebody. The crystal on the top can throw lightning and kill. Like the music box the mirror can duplicate so the witch looks like someone else. Not only can it steal somebody's looks, making them appear old or ugly, it can actually age them … beyond life. All three together enhance Belladonna's power of deception."

"So they can be used to kill. But how did Belladonna lose them if they are meant to make her more powerful?"

"When they came in Belladonna's possession The Magic Council decided unanimously they should never be hers. Thieves were sent to steal them from her. Against all odds they succeeded and the most powerful wizard hid them where Marc found them. When Belladonna heard what had been done, she located the thieves. She charmed two of them to do her bidding but they failed to get the items back. It is said one succumbed to the lure of gold and the other one drowned in the lake."

"And the third thief? What happened to him?"

"Nothing. She could not get to him. The only person that man loved was himself. He went away one day with a group of pilgrims and nobody knows where he went to and how he fared. She has tried ever since to get those three objects but every man she sent failed, until today."

"Why didn't she ever try to get them herself?"

"She was rightly afraid of traps and spells so she started using innocent people. The Magic Council had put its best and brightest on this job to prevent her from entering the hiding places and retrieving those objects. Eventually it was decided to capture her and render her harmless. They sent their best sorceress to do this, reasoning they should not send a man because of Belladonna's tricks. An apprentice of the sorceress who was devoted to her followed her. She saw how the witch changed into a man. They now think the sorceress must have had a secret love and the witch lured her away. The apprentice trailed them but eventually lost them. Nobody knows what happened to the sorceress but she hasn't been seen since."

"She could have used me if she had seen me first."

"Not really. She would have felt Marc's presence. She always preferred men. It's easier for her to change into another woman than to change into a man. It weakens her powers."

"Are you a wizard or sorcerer, Roughus, that you know all this?"

"No, I'm neither the one nor the other."

"What are you then? Not an ordinary bird, that's for sure. They don't talk."

"Please, Hannah, don't ask anymore. I'm your friend and I'll help you. That's all I can tell you."

Hannah kept quiet after that. She thought about what she'd just been told and wondered what Roughus really was … or more likely who he was.


	7. Chapter 7

**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 7**

Belladonna too was turning a few things over in her mind. Because Marc had not changed after finding her magic objects, she thought he must have some powers of his own. Perhaps he was some warlock, a good-looking one at that. The witch started thinking they might make a perfect pairing. She was sure that she could bewitch Marc enough to make him her slave for ever but marriage would make it a certainty. It was worth considering.

Belladonna kissed and caressed Marc, whispering sweet nothings in his ear; weaving her spell to bind him closer to her. The problem was that every time her attention turned to the boat to keep it on course for her castle, her power over Marc slipped away. He looked at Belladonna, feeling like a fly caught in a spider's web, wondering why she looked so different, thinking it was a mistake to be with this woman. But as soon as Belladonna's attention returned to him, he couldn't believe he had been thinking such strange things.

By the time they neared the castle, Marc was really confused. Who was this woman with him?

When he had met her she had been like his perfect woman, Jessamina. She still was, most of the time. More and more she had started to look different though; still beautiful but with a hard mouth and cold eyes. And then there were the increasing flashes of another girl, not so stunningly beautiful as Belladonna but very pretty in a homely way. A nice girl thought Marc. Even Belladonna's voice changed, depending on how she looked. Marc wondered which was Belladonna's real face and feared it might be the one he liked least of all.

Finally they reached their destination. Belladonna carefully steered the boat to the jetty, Marc jumped out and fastened it. They walked on the broken remnants of a path toward the castle. It was crowded in by thorns that pierced Marc's clothes and grazed his skin. He saw them growing everywhere on the wasteland that surrounded them. Just here and there he noticed the odd remnant of a bush or flower, desperately trying to survive. The castle itself had the same desolate look, overgrown with vines and moss with sooty, grey walls showing through. Broken bits of statues littered the ground. Looking up Marc saw the odd turret that shone white, showing a flash of the beautiful past of the building. Inside was the same look of decay. Wall hangings that must once have been colourful hung down in rags. Solid looking furniture collapsed to dust at a touch.

Belladonna went straight for the main hall, the only room that looked intact. Rich velvet curtains, blood red and gold, were covering the windows. On the far side a golden throne stood in the middle of a dais. Behind it the wall was covered with the same red curtains. In the middle above the dais hung a jewelled crown from which gold brocade curtains came down in swags either side of the throne.

The whole room was crowded with chest upon chest of treasure; golden coins, gemstones, crowns, necklaces and other jewellery spilled over the sides. Clothes made of rich satins and silks were heaped up on the ground. Seeing all that Marc thought how futile his idea had been to take her a piece of jewellery from the treasure chambers under the yew tree.

Belladonna was twirling round and round, enjoying the sight of her wealth. Then she walked slowly to the throne and put her three treasures on the floor beside it. Instantly they started changing. The staff was the first to change. The short stick extended like a telescope until it was the size of a shepherds crook. The crystal too had grown in size and sparkled in the light that fell on it. The miniature dress mirror grew to normal size. Belladonna couldn't help admiring herself in it. The music box was the last to change. With a plop the little box became a large rosewood box, inlaid with slivers of gemstones. Belladonna opened it and sat down on the throne, enjoying the tune it played. Marc didn't know what to think of all the wealth he saw and of the magic objects. More importantly he didn't know what to think of Belladonna. He kept looking around because he didn't want to see her face. It kept changing all the time now, never staying the same for more than a minute.

Belladonna meanwhile had come to a decision about what to do with Marc: she would marry him. If he was a mighty sorcerer, the ritual of marriage she would insist on, would enslave him and his powers would be at her disposal. If, on the other hand, he was just a mortal, she would kill him or change him in something useful when she became tired of him. So she asked the question, "Will you marry me, Marc?"

Marc didn't answer, too confused to think.

Belladonna continued.

"You know I love you, Marc, and I think you love me too. Haven't we been waiting all our lives to find someone? You are the one for me, Marc, the man of my dreams. Haven't you often told me I am the girl you have dreamed of all your life?"

Marc still didn't say anything. Who was the woman asking this? Was she the girl who looked like Jessamina, the woman of his dreams? Was she the beauty with the cold eyes? Or was she the girl with the soft eyes and shy smile he glimpsed now and then? Did he want to marry her or no?

Belladonna became desperate. She forced a few tears from her eyes.

"Oh, Marc, I thought you loved me but that was all lies. I would put my whole life and all my possessions in your hands, but you don't want me."

She sobbed and sobbed, but still looked at Marc sideways to see if her act had an effect.

Marc had finally made up his mind.

"No," he said. "I can't marry you. I don't even know if I still love you."

Belladonna couldn't believe it. She was raging with anger.

"You fool! You dare to insult me like this? I will kill you!"

Hannah, who had arrived just in time to hear this, cried out, "NO, let it happen to me."

There was a noise like a clap of thunder, lightning flashed in all directions; the castle shook as if they were in the middle of an earthquake. It lasted and lasted and Hannah thought the whole place would come crashing down on Marc and her. Then, suddenly, total mayhem turned to absolute silence.

Hannah looked up. The witch was gone, so were the treasure and the gaudy curtains. From the dais came a man, a woman and a young girl. They went straight to Marc. The girl just stared at him while the woman grabbed one of his hands and kissed it over and over again. The man said, "Welcome, welcome, our saviour. Whatever you are now, you will be a prince and husband to my daughter. You have destroyed the witch and set us free."

"I haven't done anything, really," said Marc. "I don't know what happened."

"Don't be modest, my boy, it is obvious that you are our hero."

To Hannah he said, "Go to the kitchen, my dear, and bring some champagne. We have something to celebrate."

As Hannah went out, she passed a mirror. She was still an old woman.

"I don't think it is over yet, Roughus," she croaked. As fast as her old legs could go, Hannah went to the kitchen. She would ask for a job, any job; she had to stay near Marc, just in case.

While looking for the kitchen Hannah saw something strange. Along the length of the corridors and in every room were shimmering patches, like heat hazes on a hot summer's day, all moving in different directions. They became the ghostly figures of human beings, totally see-through. Slowly features became clearer; the figures became more solid and before long people were walking about everywhere. By the time Hannah reached the kitchen, the castle was filled with courtiers and servants and anybody else the smooth running of a grand place might need.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: On 6 March 2013 chapter 6 has been updated.**

* * *

**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 8**

Hannah had no difficulty finding a job in the kitchen. She was willing to do any job and that was appreciated. If anyone in the kitchen had a job they didn't much care for they were told to give it to 'the old biddy with the bird' who did everything. All day long Hannah was busy cleaning vegetables, peeling potatoes, gutting fish, doing the dishes, clearing the ashes in the grates and tending the fires.

The first order of the king was to restore the castle and the gardens to their former splendour. "It is sad that the castle and the garden look so dreadfully neglected, but one day the White Castle will shine again in its full glory," said the king. All the people who had been enchanted and freed when the witch died cheered. A massive clean-up began. The gardens were cleared of weeds and new bushes and flowers were planted. All the rubbish was taken out of the castle and it was cleaned from cellar to attic. Despite all this work, nothing looked as it should. The new plants didn't take very well, died or remained stunted. The castle didn't regain its fabled whiteness; a grimy greyness that could not be washed away still covered it. The same jobs had to be done over and over again without success. To encourage his people the King ordered a feast should be prepared to celebrate the deliverance of the castle and its inhabitants from a wicked witch.

Poor Hannah. There she was in a castle full of happy people, getting ready for a celebration and she was worried. Marc was introduced to everyone as 'Marc, our hero, who will marry my daughter, Princess Eleanor' but Hannah wondered whether this could be a happy union. True, the Princess was not a witch; she didn't look cold-hearted or arrogant. Neither was she warm and friendly. Hannah thought the Princess looked … well, empty. Like a lantern without a light. She looked sweet, with golden hair and cornflower blue eyes; she always had a friendly smile but it never reached her eyes. The real Princess Eleanor seemed to be still asleep inside the pretty puppet that walked and talked and laughed.

The Queen too acted strange. She kept looking around with a worried expression, as if she expected something horrible to happen. She was easily startled and would whimper in fear. When the cleaning had started she would scream and faint every time a piece of furniture was moved. In the end the King said, "Go have a lie-down. Rest and come back when you can behave like a Queen. I don't want a snivelling wreck beside me."

This was a sure sign that the King, who seemed to act normal, was still under the influence of a spell as well. The once friendly and patient man had become a bully. He could change from happy to angry in a second. The smallest thing irritated him disproportionally.

It was all too clear to everyone that something was not right. Roughus agreed with Hannah that the curse was only partially broken. But the King had ordered a celebration and a celebration was prepared. Why not? The witch was dead and everyone was back to normal … more or less. A feast was just what everyone needed to forget the dreadful past.

The day of the party was a difficult day for Hannah. If she hadn't been old and ugly she could have tried to regain Marc's affection now that he was no longer bound to Belladonna by the enchantment. She started to cry but quickly dried her tears. "No use, gone for ever," she thought.

Then Roughus came and asked, "Why aren't you at the party, Hannah? Everyone was invited."

"I don't want to go as an old woman," she answered. "I'm not an old biddy. I'm Hannah, a young woman, but look at me, old and crooked, with the voice of a crow with a bad cold. I can't go, I just can't."

"I can help you, Hannah. You see, I have a bit of magic of my own and for tonight, while the party lasts you can be the old Hannah. It is only a loan, mind, tomorrow you'll have to give it all back."

"I don't care. Marc will see me and he'll want to dance with me."

"I don't think he'll recognise you, Hannah. I fear he doesn't remember anything of his life before Belladonna. Anyway, go have a wash, then put on the dress that you will find on your bed and go to the ball. Remember, Hannah, what I give you tonight is just a loan."

"Thank you, Roughus, I will remember."

Hannah went to her room and on her bed she found a beautiful dress; more beautiful than she'd ever dared imagine. She got ready as quickly as she could. Filled with joy Hannah went to the ball. She just knew Marc would notice her now she looked like a princess and not like a country girl. When she entered the ballroom, people looked her up and down and asked each other in whispers, "Do you know that girl? She looks beautiful."

Of course she thought this was because of the grand gown she was wearing but actually she looked radiant because of the happiness that shone out of her eyes. Marc saw her and he too was enchanted. He left Princess Eleanor standing. This new girl looked so much more alive. He had a feeling that he knew her although he had no idea how or where they could have met.

"Shall we dance," he asked the beautiful stranger.

"I would love to," said Hannah with a sigh.

They danced and danced; he never let go of her, never wanted another partner. Then the band played a song that they had known once and she sang to him. Marc didn't recognise it but enjoyed it so much, he said, "You have a lovely voice. Come tomorrow and sing to me. I would love that."

"I can't," answered Hannah. "This voice does not belong to me. I can only borrow it for tonight."

She felt the tears stinging her eyes, whispered a quick "Goodnight," and ran away. She was gone before Marc had recovered from his surprise at her strange answer. He didn't understand. How could a voice be borrowed?

The little bird landed on Marc's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "It is her own voice, but it has been stolen from her. She has it on loan tonight but in the morning she'll loose it again. Destroy the King's music box and what was stolen will be returned. She will have her voice back again and sing to you every day."

Marc was not surprised that one of the objects he had retrieved for Belladonna could retain a stolen voice. He decided that the mysterious girl should be able to sing again, just like she had done earlier. While the whole palace was dancing and eating at the ball, he went to the King's chambers. There on a bedside table next to the King's bed was the music box. Marc picked it up and threw it on the ground. With a last piercing wail it burst into splinters.

After the feast while getting ready for bed the King wanted to listen to the music box and found it in pieces. He was furious when he saw that the box was beyond repair and wanted to know immediately who had destroyed it. He had everyone called back to the ball room, including his wife and daughter. When everyone had arrived he roared, "Who has destroyed my music box? It was a valuable piece, a trophy wrested from the witch and I shall know who was guilty of this."

Nobody answered. The Queen was hiding in fear behind her throne and the Princess was staring out of a window at the night sky.

"If the guilty party owns up I will be merciful but if I have to find out myself, I will punish this act with severity. Who did it?"

Marc decided to keep quiet, but when the little chambermaid was accused, he spoke up.

"I did it, Sire," he said. "That thing was evil, just like the witch. That's why I destroyed it."

Seeing that it was the country's hero who had done the wicked deed the King lost his fury. Still, some punishment was in order so the King sent Marc to the dungeon for a week.

During that week, whenever she had time, Hannah would sit out of sight of Marc and sing for him. Hearing her singing, Marc thought destroying the music box had been worth a week in jail. He just wished he could see as well as hear her, but she was always out of sight, just singing to him in her warm voice.


	9. Chapter 9

**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 9**

When he had done his time Marc was immediately released and the King decided a new ball was in order. He said to Marc, "Now that the little problem we had is out of the way I want to have a feast in honour of our hero who set us free from the clutches of a wicked witch. This will be all for you, my boy."

Marc knew that he had done nothing to deserve the praise, but didn't say anything. He hoped to see the girl with the beautiful voice again.

Like the previous time the bird told Hannah that he had a dress for her and to remember that although she had her voice back, her straight legs and youthful looks were not her own.

"I know, Roughus," Hannah said.

The dress that was waiting for her was even more sumptuous than the first one. How did a bird manage to conjure up dresses like this out of thin air?

The bird was waiting outside Hannah's bedroom when she came out. He whistled long and hard.

"Marc will want to be with you all night," he said. "You are irresistible."

"Thank you," Hannah replied. "It's really the dress though. Where do you get these wonderful dresses from?"

"I told you before: I know a bit of magic. But it's really not the dress, Hannah. It is you. The dress is just like the frame around a beautiful picture. Only there to enhance it."

Hannah shook her head in disbelief. Then she ran to the ballroom where Marc was impatiently waiting for her. Again he danced with Hannah and still he didn't recognize her. She was still the mysterious girl to him. Hannah danced with Marc and for Marc and danced so prettily that he asked her, "Come to me tomorrow, and dance for me all day."

"I can't," answered Hannah. "My legs are stiff and crooked. I can't dance with them. These legs are not my own. I can only borrow them for tonight."

Again she ran away. She could not continue now that the dream was in tatters again, pierced like a balloon at the fair.

The bird hopped on Marc's shoulder again and whispered to him, "They are her legs, stolen by the witch, like her voice. Destroy the King's staff. They will be returned to her and she will be able to dance again."

Without hesitation Marc went towards the back of the ballroom where the King's throne stood. He grabbed the staff that was leaning against it and broke it in two while walking to the open fireplace. There he threw the pieces in the fire that had been lit so that the women would not be cold in their bare-armed, low-cut dresses. The fire roared, burning so fiercely that in seconds the staff was reduced to ashes. With a slight 'Ping' the crystal on top of the staff disappeared, as if it had been nothing more than a soap bubble.

The Queen had been drawn to the blazing fire and sighed with relief when the staff collapsed to dust. The King looked on, paralysed in disbelief, as Marc destroyed the second one of his prized trophies. For just a moment longer he was dumbfounded then he shouted out, "Throw him in the dungeon." And to Marc he said, "You're lucky WE owe so much to YOU. Let's hope you realise what YOU owe US when you will be released in a month's time."

The music stopped and so did the dancing as the people wondered what had happened. At the sound of her husband's bellowing, the Queen had cowered down in fear while the Princess still danced on all on her own to music only she could hear.

Marc was immediately thrown in jail and every day of that month Hannah was there to comfort him. He could hear her voice when she sang to him and when she danced for him her skirt swirled about her legs but he never saw her face. He realised he missed her sweet smile and shining eyes, he missed his mystery girl.

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**Author's Note: This was a very short chapter. Only three more chapters to go. Perhaps I should threaten not to post them until I get some reviews. **


	10. Chapter 10

**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 10**

On the day of his release, Marc was immediately brought to the King's office where he was told, "We'll forget all that has passed so far. Go and get ready for the feast that starts at noon. My daughter is impatient to have the first dance with you."

Marc looked at the Princess Eleanor staring vacantly at the opposite wall. She always did this, just sitting there like a pretty doll. She didn't seem to realise anybody was in the room. She always smiled sweetly but never talked and never seemed to hear what people said. Only when somebody touched her arm did she react to the world about her, still with the same smile, still with the same dead doll's eyes.

The Queen had started giggling, or perhaps she was crying. It was difficult to tell. She was rubbing her hands and nervously looking around, like a mouse waiting to be pounced upon by a cat. Marc thought the whole royal family was seriously weird, unsettlingly so.

"At least SHE might be there," Marc told himself, not realising this was to be an engagement party for him and Princess Eleanor.

While Marc was getting ready, Roughus was giving Hannah the usual advice.

"I have another dress for you Hannah. You have your own voice now and your own legs but remember, your youth is still only on loan."

"Roughus, I know that Marc destroyed two of the magic objects. Can't I just destroy the last one myself?"

"No, you can't Hannah. Your part is to be patient and wait. Destroying the last object yourself would undo what has been done already and make all three curses permanent, Marc wouldn't recognise you and the witch would have won after all. I know it is difficult Hannah, but all you can do is hope."

"I will, Roughus," Hannah said. "I will hope and wait and be patient. But it isn't easy."

"I know, Hannah. Just remember that I'm your friend. All I want is to get us out of here in one piece and destroy every remaining spell of that blasted witch."

As soon as Hannah entered the ballroom, Marc took her by the hand and danced with her, forgetting he had promised the first dance to Princess Eleanor. It didn't matter. The Princess was dancing with some man who happened to touch her hand as the music started and smiled and nodded, nodded and smiled to everybody around her.

Meanwhile Hannah was in seventh heaven dancing with Marc and he just looked at the youthful beauty in his arms. He realised he wanted her forever; there was just one thing to do.

"My beautiful, mysterious girl; please, be my wife forever," he said.

Hannah wanted to cry out, "Yes, Yes, of course I will!" but she heeded the bird's words and answered, "I can't be your wife. This beauty you love is not my own. I only borrowed it for tonight."

Then she ran away. Her heart was pounding with fear. She wanted Marc to break the last object. She wanted that curse to be broken as well. And yet, she feared the anger of the King.

When Hannah was gone, the bird informed Marc, "You know that beauty is entirely hers don't you. It was taken from her like all the rest and only the destruction of the magic mirror that is now in the Princess' room can restore it to her."

Marc only hesitated a moment then he left the ballroom. He never heard the King calling for his daughter and the hero and liberator of his kingdom to come forward. When Marc didn't arrive the King shouted out, "Find him!"

While everyone was looking for him Marc had gone straight to the Princess' room. The door wasn't locked so he went in. The mirror was standing practically right in front of him. He picked up the first heavy object he saw – a bronze elephant on a pedestal near the door – and hurled it at the mirror.

With a deafening crash the mirror broke into a thousand pieces. So loud was the noise that the whole castle had heard it. It upset the Queen so much that she ran straight to her room to hide in her bed under the blankets, shaking with fear. The King was the first on the scene and nearly burst a blood vessel when he saw the destruction of his last prize. The Princess had arrived immediately after her father but didn't seem to be interested in the mirror. She just picked up the bronze statue, checked it and finding it undamaged, put it back on the pedestal. It was the first time since the liberation of the castle that she showed a real interest in anything.

That is why the King said to Marc, "You are lucky that you didn't hurt my daughter's feelings. Still, I will have to punish you for this act of vandalism. I hope a year 's imprisonment will cure you from this ungrateful behaviour."

So, again Marc was sent to the dungeon. Like the two times before he could look out through a barred window. There he could see Hannah who sang to him, danced for him and talked to him. He could look into her eyes now. His mystery girl was there every day, sometimes only for a moment, sometimes for hours on end. The more Marc saw her and talked to her, the more he knew that she was the only woman he wanted even if he didn't know her name. Instructed by the bird, she never told him.

"He'll remember you as soon as the witch's enchantment has really gone," Roughus said. "Look at the castle, Hannah. It is still not a 'magnificent White Castle' and the gardens don't grow in 'luxuriant abundance' yet. "

Hannah saw that Roughus was right. The walls were not quite white, not as white as the passing clouds for instance. And the gardener complained that there were still patches in the garden where nothing would grow. She continued to wait patiently and told Marc (and herself) that all would be well one day.


	11. Chapter 11

**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 11**

On the day before Marc's release Hannah didn't have a free moment. From early morning everyone had been busy with the preparations for another party. It was whispered that the following day the King would finally be announcing the engagement of his daughter to the hero that saved the country, just like he had planned to do a year previously. Hannah didn't want to believe Marc had agreed to this, not now it seemed that he had fallen in love with her. She wanted to ask him if he knew what the King had planned but never had a moment to herself that day. By the time she stopped work it was after midnight and she was so tired that all she could do was go to bed.

The following morning before the sun was up, work on the preparation for the feast that evening started again. It was clear that this event was on a much grander scale than the previous occasions. This time only the courtiers and aristocracy had been invited so there would be no possibility for Hannah to see Marc. She had to talk to him before the party.

When she had a short break around midday, Hannah went to the prison but Marc had already been released and she had no time to go looking for him – she was wanted in the kitchen. It was evening and the party had already started before Hannah was free.

This time there was no lavish dress waiting for her. On the bed was a traditional outfit, the kind Hannah's mother had worn on special occasions, though this one was of superior quality. It looked festive but Hannah didn't feel like putting it on. She didn't feel festive at all. But she had to. She had no choice. By order of the King every servant should come in their Sunday best to congratulate the Princess and her fiancé and to cheer them on.

Once she was dressed Hannah decided she wanted to see Marc and the Princess at the party. Had Marc been truthful about his newfound love for her, or would he be whispering sweet nothings to the Princess now. She managed to get onto the terrace through the garden without being seen and hid in a corner near one of the French windows. It was easy to look into the big ball room unnoticed. The Princess seemed to be having a good time, laughing inanely and dancing with everybody present. Marc seemed to be searching for somebody. Hannah wondered whether he was looking for her. The joy she felt at the thought made her whole body tingle and her heart beat faster. Then Roughus landed on her shoulder.

"The King hasn't announced the engagement yet," he said.

"Then it is true? Marc is going to marry the Princess?"

"Marc will have to. It's the King's wish. But we have to stop it. YOU have to stop it."

"How Roughus, how can I stop it?"

"It will be dangerous. The King will be furious."

"No matter, I'll do it," said Hannah.

"This is what you must do. As soon as the King has announced the engagement you go to the Princess and you hit her in the face. First you hit her with your right hand – with the palm of your hand on her right cheek and with the back of your hand on her left cheek. Then with the palm of your left hand you hit her on the left cheek and with the back of your left hand on the right cheek. While you do this you have to say 'Oath breaker', 'Faithless friend', 'False lover', 'Untrue heart'."

"And then?"

"I don't know, Hannah. I hope this will make everything right again, but I can't be sure. As I said before, the King will be furious and even the Princess might be. There's no telling what they'll do. That's why it is so dangerous."

"If there's a chance that this will break the witches' curse …"

"I think it may be our last chance," interrupted the bird.

"Then I'll do it."

Hannah left the terrace and went back into the castle towards the ballroom. There she found the servants gathered together. They were having a dispute over who had to give a bunch of flowers to the Princess and congratulate her in name of the combined staff of the castle. They couldn't agree who should do this because nobody wanted to go near the King and Queen or the Princess; they were all too afraid of this royal family that was not at all the family they remembered. When they saw Hannah they asked her, "Hannah, please, would you take these flowers and give them to the princess?"

Hannah realised this was another job that nobody really wanted to do. It was all too clear they asked her because she never said no. But it was equally true it would give her the best excuse to go near the Princess, so she said, "If you want to, I'll do it." They were all greatly relieved.

All the servants stood behind Hannah near the entrance to the ball room waiting for the big moment. Then the King called his daughter and Marc to join him and said, "My dear guests and all you present, here we are gathered together again just like last year. This time I have no more magic objects to destroy so there won't be any interruptions (The King waited until everyone had realised this was a joke and had laughed as expected). As you all know these two young people by my side mean the world to me; that is why I announce to you with great joy – though a little later than planned – the engagement of my daughter, the Princess Eleanor and the hero of our country, the man who set us free, Sir Marcus Salvatore. Hooray to Princess Eleanor and Sir Marcus!"

"Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!" shouted the assembled people.

One by one the guests congratulated the King and Queen and the young couple. The King accepted the felicitations with pride while the Queen looked round nervously as if she expected a return of the witch. Marc looked uncomfortable and the Princess just smiled and nodded her head.

Finally it was Hannah's turn. She walked up to the Princess and gave her the flowers.

"Your Highness, these flowers with best wishes for your future I give you in name of all the staff."

The Princess accepted the flowers with her usual silly grin, although she seemed to realise who the flowers came from as she nodded towards the people standing in the doorway of the room.

Then Hannah said, "This is my personal present to you." and she hit the Princess in the face as she had been instructed, each slap punctuated by an accusation, "Oath breaker… faithless friend… false lover… untrue heart."

An amazed gasp, a moment of deadly silence … then an angry roar, "She hit my daughter! Kill her!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: this is the last chapter. Hope you've enjoyed the story so far and will enjoy this last chapter as well.**

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**THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR**

**CHAPTER 12**

Marc had recognised the girl he loved. He wanted to protect her from the King's anger and he knew only one way: take the blame himself. He took her in his arms and said, "No, don't kill her. Take my life. Your Majesty, it's because of me that she has hit the Princess."

Then a shiver went through Marc's body. He trembled, wiped his brow and looked at the girl in his arms.

"Hannah? What has happened? What are we doing here?" he asked. The memories of all that had happened suddenly hit him. "Belladonna. She was like Jessamina. But it was a lie. She was a witch…it's as if I have been walking around in a daze."

"I felt the same. I was in a nightmare and could not speak and barely think."

It was the Princess. She was no longer a puppet with dead eyes and inane smile. Her parents too had felt a change had come over them. The Queen was the first to speak.

"It's over," she said. "It's finally over."

She no longer looked like a frightened mouse. The King embraced his wife.

"I'm sorry," he said and would have said more but his wife stopped the words with a kiss.

Princess Eleanor turned to her parents. "Father, the girl that slapped me was right. If I marry Sir Marcus I break my word. I am engaged to another and even if he is gone forever I'll be true to Prince Rufus."

"What?" said Hannah, "Did you say Roughus, Your Highness?"

The bird had flown in and settled on Hannah's shoulder, looking at the Princess intently. Princess Eleanor now remembered how she, Prince Rufus and the White Castle with all its inhabitants had fallen under the witch's spell.

"She wanted the castle; she wanted to be queen here and she changed you into a bird because you tried to save us," said the Princess. "And even then you could have saved yourself, if you had accepted Belladonna's hand in marriage. I'll be true to you, Rufus, just like you were true to me."

The bird left Hannah's shoulder and landed in front of the Princess. As soon as its feet touched the ground Roughus became Prince Rufus again.

The last of the witch's enchantments were now gone. The people, the King and Queen, everyone looked happier as if a heavy weight had been lifted from them. The sun shone brighter and warmer than before and the White Castle was now truly white, sparkling against the clear blue sky. The garden too was free from the curse; in a few minutes the plants looked lush and green and flowers were blooming abundantly.

Hannah and Prince Rufus had to tell the whole story from the moment he had seen Marc with Belladonna and had warned Hannah to the slap that awakened Princess Eleanor from the enchantment.

Of course he didn't forget to mention how Hannah took Belladonna's curses on herself and became an old woman. And Hannah told about the magic Rufus had performed to get her to the three parties the king had organised.

"I was just lucky there was still so much magic around," said Rufus. "The whole place was buzzing with it. Unfortunately even a great wizard couldn't have broken the curses. Only Marc could restore Hannah to her old form. Only Eleanor's vow to me as a bird could end my enchantment. And of course because Hannah and Marc were ready to die for each other Belladonna and her enchantments were destroyed; for that is the biggest and oldest magic of all, a magic Belladonna didn't understand or even believe in."

When the whole story had been told Marc said that he'd much rather drop the title the King had bestowed on him.

"I didn't like it in the first place and obviously I have absolutely no claim to it. Hannah did more to save us than I," he said and Hannah answered that she didn't want to become Hannah Salvatore because that sounded just silly.

"As you wish. No titles then," the King said. "But you'll have to allow me to organise your wedding. We'll make it a double wedding and everybody can join the celebration."

"If Hannah still wants me," was Marc's answer.

And Hannah said what she had wanted to say for a very long time, "Yes! Yes! Yes! I will!"

Then Marc gently kissed Hannah and she kissed him back more passionately than he had expected. He wondered why he had been chasing a childhood dream for so long when his perfect woman had always been within reach. Their second kiss lasted so long that the King joked, "I'd better arrange those weddings as soon as possible."

And so it happened. Hannah and Marc stayed at the White Castle for a few months longer. When they said it was time to return to their farm which was a long way of, Prince Rufus had a surprise for them. In order to get her magic objects the witch had made a long roundabout tour from the farm to the castle. In fact the farm could be seen from the tower of the castle, especially now that the dense thorny forest that surrounded it, was gone with the rest of the witch's enchantments. It was a joy to all four of them that they would live so close together.

Soon after the wedding the King retired and left his throne to Prince Rufus and Princess Eleanor who was anything but dim. They wanted all their subjects to have a good life. For the first time in the history of the White Castle ordinary people were really taken into account. The first thing King Rufus and Queen Eleanor did after ascending to the throne was…

but that is another story.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

THE END

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